Combined centrifugal extractor and tumbler



Feb. 29, 1944. E. F. WESELY 2,343,102

COMBINED GENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR AND TUMBLER Filed July 9, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet -'2 h i 1 I iot/emit) Edwin F Weaely Bg wq Feb. 29, 1944. E. F. WESELY 2,343,102

COMBINED CENTRIFUGAL EXTRAGTOR AND TUMBLER Filed July 9, 1940 f 4 Sheets-Sheet s lllll I o m mean I wa-Q In Feb. 29, 1944. E. F. WESELY CQMBINED CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR AND TUMBLER Filed July 9, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 weroibi; Eds/v4 11 F Wes'eZy PatentedFeb. 29, 1944 V CQMBmsucEummumLlsxrnsoron;

. AND. TUMBLER,

Edwin Fz Wesely, Chevyfillrase,v Md; 7 I Application Ju1y.9; 1940,.s.eria1No; 3.44pm

ITClairnsQ (else-14s The. present. invention relates :to a combinedcentrifugal. extractor; andltumbler which has particular: use'in laundries.

In the laundryipractice, the various'ar'ticles.

whichare takenor discharged from the washer area then. subjected to centrifugal extraction in anextractor toremovethe greater portion of the water preparatory to feeding the-articles tothe ironers.- Duringsuch extractionthe articles, such as towels, sheets, wearing.- apparel, etc; becometwisted, bunched together,- individually and col:-

lectively packed. wrinkled; etc.,. Whioh=inV01Ves=a considerable amQuntofJtime :and labor. in unrav elling, separating straightening. out. etc.,- whichisnecessary for the ironing; step. Heretofore the articles taken from the v extractor. have: been placed in a so:-ca11ed;- shake=out tumbler in .which the articles have been tumbledtoseparateand condition both individually and. collectively; to be readily submittedto the irons,-..ironing machines and flat work ironers.

It is therefore-anobject oixtheinventionto. provide asinglemachineror. apparatus which will. both extract and tumble,qin successive steps or stages, the washed articles preparatory. to ironing the latter. It is a further objectzof the invention "to devise amachine which willbothtextract and. tumble the articles with only'oneiloading step in-.

stead of two'which is necessarylwiththeseparate machines which, have been; usedlheretofore.

or removed fromthe machine afterv the extract: ing and tumblingisteps- V Another important object of the inventionyisito 50 design and construct the basket or. container that it serves the purpose of acting. as a water extractor in one 'position'and asa shake-out tum:-

bler in another position, With a third position for. The apparatusisdumping the treated articles. so built and designed ,that: it will automatically extract thewater. from the-articles in the basket;

then elevate :the basket; at the. same timeshiftin itsposition to carry out the-tumbling;- step: and

A. still further object of the invention is to providev means whereby the articles may bejeasily dumped.

- Fig. 3 is'a-pla'n viewof the machine, 4 :Fig. 4.15 a cross-sectional view-takenon'line 4+4! of Fig. 1 in the direction'of the arrows;

I Fig. 5 is a detailed sec-tiona'lviewofabearing;

end-of the curb and basket; andl Fig; 6 is a-perspective viewg s'howingtheautol'ilaticswitch and its operators Themachine is-illustrated' as mounted on a base or foundation plate 1 having three upstanding posts 8-.bolted thereon-atapproximately-I20 fromeach other; Fig; 4; These three posts- 8-- support a platform 9 suspended by meansof-link rods Ii) whereby-the platfor'm' 9ywith-the structure thereon-is free to swing'andvibrate or oscillateiduring the centrifuging -of*tl ie water-out of the Washed articles. If desired the posts B'can beboltedon the fleor or: embedded in concrete, so thatthe baseplatemay be'dispensed with.

A central bearing-support llfFigs-l and 2', is bolted or otherwise secured on the platform :9; A pair of posts'or pedestals I2 ar e also mounted in any suitable manner on' the platform, said parts 12"beingconnected at-the top by a cross bar Thecentral-bearing support I I has the bearmg spindle M rotatably mounted therein f of which the portion, i5 is a thrust. bearing and thereaboveisa frusto-conicalporti'on lfi' Fig. 1;

The extractor andishak e-out tumbler or drum W is composed of tw'o parts one of which is the.

basket or container lili nade of aluminium, galvanized or-enameled iron and the like, and the other is the-curb or guard l9; Fig, '1; arranged aroundj'and in spaced relat on. relative to the basket; Both the basket I 8"'a nd"curb is have correspondingan'd superposed openings 20 and 2| respectively, the latter opening being provided witha perforated cover 22 provided .With'a hinge 231mg. 3,; and aclosure or latch 24," The basket ltfhas perforated :Walls withopeni sifi' suitably spa-cedand vertical ribs fifistampedinwardly, into.

the peripheral side Wall'or individually secured thereon, there being four of such ribsshowmEi'g. =l, although an desired'nur nber may be proyided. he ba k t: Wi mount n. a st b Jn which is proud. .datithei ter; e iwiman. ternal'; frusto-conicalfl opening .or' seat, 28; which has the'same configuration as; an rates with t e o ion;iiioithe' p udle R a ne t r th aded on i isnindieir.tomaim as; t e bask 1 all-(1mm a'i lisnms celat on an to pe mit not 1.0:; o thebafiketwhenrotated b .th spindiagl. Theiatter rotationis accomplislied byl means. of. ;a. 'p,u1 1 ey..3,u. mountedto retate with the spindle 21 and'a. belt'3'l to an electric motor 32, Fig. 4, the latter being secured to the side of the curb I9.

As will be seen from Fig. 1 a rack bar 33is adjustably mounted on the left hand post 12 and is held in vertical adjusted position by the bolts 34. This rack bar 33 is provided with gear teeth 35 along a certain length thereof, Fig. 2, and these teeth mesh with a gear 36 mounted on one of the trunnions 31, Fig. 1, of the curb l9. These trunnions 31, which are diametrically opposite each other on the curb 19, are secured to or are integral with the curb at a point slightly above the middle of the extractor and tumbler l1 and these trunnions rotate together with the basket and curb on bearing pins 38, Fig. 5, coaxial with the trunnions. The pins 38 are secured to or integral with the elevating bosses or carriers 39 and 49, Fig. 5, one on each post l2, said carriers 39 and 49 being slidably mounted on their posts.

An actuating rod 40 is provided for and near each post 12, of which each rod has a screw threaded portion 4| and is mounted at the bottom end in a bearing cup 42 and at the top in a bearing collar 43 secured to the end of the cross bar l3. The upper end of each rod 40 has a bevel gear securely mounted thereon which meshes with a bevel gear 45, which latter is mounted on one end of a driving shaft 46 driven by the electric motor 41, the latter being mounted on the bar I3. The gear end of each shaft 46 is provided with a supporting bearing 48 secured on the bar 13. v

The carrier 49, Fig. 6, is provided with an intermediate projecting portion 50 having a lug thereon which is adapted to contact and actuatethe button 52 of an electric switch 53. This switch 53, Fig. 1 is suspended at a suitable distance mlow the bar 13 by means of a bar 54.

,Due'to the rather high centrifugal force developed during the centrifuging step it is preferable to provide a plurality of peripheral steel or other metal1ic,'preferably rust proof, bands or hoops 56, Fig. 1, which are suitably spaced and are welded, riveted, etc. to the outer surface of the basket 18. Also the cover 22 is provided with a plurality of holes or perforations 58, Fig. 1, to permit the entry of air in view of the fact that during the centrifuging step considerable air is thrown out laterally through the openings 25 which of course should be replaced to aid somewhat in forcing the moisture from the articles and from the basket I8.

' Suitable openings 59, Fig. 1, are provided in the bottom of the curb l9 through which the centrifuged water'flows out of the latter.

" It is also advisable to bolt or otherwise fasten an annular cap member 55, Fig. 1, to the bottom of the basket which tends to keep the articles away from the center where the smallest centrifugal force would be effective, and also to prevent an article being stretched across the center.

The apparatus operates as follows:

' .In the position of the extractor and tumbler H as shown in Figs. 1 and'2 in full lines the articles which have been washed are placed in the'basket l8 bylifting the cover 22 and inserting'such articles through'the openings '20 and 2|'.' 'The basket is thus packed with a sufficient and required quantity of the articles which are to be subjected to water extraction and tumbling action. After placing the articles in the basket I8 the cover 22 is closed and locked in such a position by means oiithe closure'24. The motor 32 is then started by a suitable switch which sets the basket 18 in rotation by means of driving belt 31, pulley 30 and spindles l4 and 21. The water in the washed articles in the basket is forced by centrifugal force out through the openings 25 and run out through a suitable opening in the bottom of the curb l9. After the articles have been subjected to centrifugal action for a certain predetermined length of time the motor 32 is stopped in order to place the extractor and tumbler l1 to a position for the tumbling operation. For this purpose the motor 41 is started which rotates the actuating rods 40 in opposite directions relative to each other which will result in raising the curb l9 together with the basket l8 to the position indicated by the dash lines 66 in Fig, 2. The movement of the curb l9 has so far taken place in an exact vertical direction without rotating the curb around its bearings 38 and this is for the purpose of permitting the opening or seat 28, Fig. 1 to clear the portion 16. At this point the gear 36 begins to mesh with the gear teeth 35 on the rack 33 so that upon further rotation of the rod 40 the curb 19' and basket 18 will not only move upwardly but both will rotate through 62 around the horizontal axis of the bearing pins 38 causing the curb and basket to assume a position indicated by the dot and dash lines 6|,in Fig. 2, which are approximately at right angles to the full line position witha certain amount of elevation. In this position 61 of the curb and basket the motor41 is stopped which can be carried out automatically when the lug 51 contacts and actuates the button 52 of the switch 53. In this position 61 the motor 32 is again started but at a slower speed than for the extracting operation in order to tumble the articles in the basket l8 to fiuif and loosen them which action is aided by means of the ribs 26 in the basket. It is of course well known that when the articles in the basket are first subjected to centrifugal extraction of the water that the articles themselves become tightly packed not only individuallybut collectively and this tumbling act-ion separates the individual articles from each other and also insofar as the separate articles are concerned.

After a predetermined length of time which can be automatically set by a well known time switch the motor 32 is stopped and the motor 41 is again set in operation, for instance, manually by means of switch 53, to raise the curb l9 slightly higher at the same time rotating the curb counterclockwise, Fig. 2, to the position indicated in the dash lines 63', which is approximately 60 from the position 61, in which position the cover 22 is opened and the articles either drop out of the basket or can be removed by hand. To automatically stop the motor 41 after the basket reaches the position 63 a second limit switch, not shown, can be mounted on the bar 54. As clearly shown'in Fig. 2 the position of the basket and curb indicated at 63 is elevated relative to the full line position so that the articles can be removed in the position 63 at a side of the apparatus between two posts 8 which affords unobstructed access to the machine.

It is of course within the scope of this invention to use this machine as a tumbler in that in the full-line position, Fig. 2, the articles are placed into the basket then the curb and basket is rotated as well as elevated to position 61 to tumble the articles and finally rotated to position 63 to dump or remove the articles from the basket.

It is also within the scope of thisinvention to r antenna: provideria'lmotoria'zz which rise reversiblesorlthati mountedi one. one of..."said;' posts; and-1 a: gearfin? thecarticlesacana beiz tumbled' in :oneiv direction of rotation and then reversed. to :the other directionof' rotationlin .successi've operations: timed: by

any suitable: means to:.successivelyrreverse the motor 32 and thereby: thetumbler; 1

Obviously, the:present invention is not restrict-=- edii to: the particular: embodiment herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensablethat allthe features .xofithis invention be used and two:gears.36,lone onieach side adjacent the be/insufii'ci'ent for perfect operation.

I1; claim: aszmy invention: I

13 An". apparatusizof the-c character" described comprising a drum adapted to receivewetarti'cles,

said drum having a bottom portion and a top portionof'which the latter has an opening therein, means for maintaining said drum in a horizontal position relative to its bottom portion and to rotate the drum around a vertical axis at right angles to said bottom portion to extract the moisture from the articles by centrifiugal force, and means for changing the drum to a vertical position relative to said bottom portion and to rotate the drum around a horizontal axis at right angles to said bottom portion to shake out and tumble the articles which have been subjected to the centrifgual extraction to individually separate and shake out the articles, said last-mentioned means also changing the drum to a further position relative to the opening in the top portion to dump the articles from the drum after the tumbling operation.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a basket adapted to receive wet articles, a curb in which the basket is rotatably mounted, a pair of posts, means for rotatably and slidably mounting said curb on said posts, means for raising and lowering said basket and curb by the first-named means, and means for rotating said basket in one positionto centrifuge the wet articles and in another position of the basket the tumble the articles in the basket.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2', in which means are provided to rotate the basket and curb while the basket and curb are raised and lowered.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a basket adapted to receive wet articles,.a curb in which the basket is rotatably mounted, a pair of upright posts, a cross bar mounted across the top of the posts, means for rotatably and slidably mounting said curb on said posts, an actuating rod mounted adjacent each post and cooperating with said rotatable and slidable mounting means, means for rotating said actuating rods, and means on one of said posts to rotate said curb and basket while the latter are raised and lowered whereby in one position of the basket the latter will centrifuge the wet articles and in another position the basket will tumble the articles. V

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, in which means are provided to rotate the basket through the curb and to act as a support for the curb and basket when the latter is in the centrifuging position, said last-mentioned 'means including a bearing support and a spindle with a thrust bearing rotatable in said support. 6. An apparatus accordingto claim 4, in which the last mentioned means includesa gear'rack mesh i-therewith': and-r SQCIHGdiItOi the: curb;. r

An: apparatus w of the character described comprising: a. cylindrical; basket adapted; to -;re-:

ceiveewet articl.es;a cylindrical-curb in whichithe basketis .rotatablymounted; a pair of 'trunnions, mounted. at diametrically opposite points oft the basket are raised and ilowered-r means for. rotatings aid: curb and: basket while :said i curb and: basket and raised-and lowered; and. means for-roe tating the: basket in'one position to centrifuge the wet articles and'in another position to tumble the'artic'les-p I i r 4 3.- An apparatus according to claim 7, in which saidls means for "rotating the curb r and basket-- includes a gear rack onone :of- "the posts and a" gear on one of the trunnions; f i

9. An apparatus ofthe character: described comprising a combined extractor and shake out tumbler for wet articles, a platform for said extractor and tumbler, means for raising and rotating said extractor and tumbler to three vertical positions relative to said platform in which in one position the moisture is extracted from the wet articles, in the second position in which the combined extractor and tumbler has been rotated at right angles to the first position the articles are tumbled and in the third position in which the combined extractor and tumbler has been rotated through a further angle relative to the second position the articles are dumped out, and means for rotating said combined extractor and tumbler at different speeds to carry out the extracting and tumbling of the articles. a

10. An apparatus of the character described comprising a drum adapted to receive wet articles, means for mounting said drum to rotate around a horizontal axis, means for rotating said drum around a vertical axis including means for supporting said drum during such rotation of the drum around the vertical axis, and means for raising said drum vertically from said supporting means to clear the latter and upon further vertical raising of the drum the latter rotating around the horizontal axis, said drum when on its supporting means being in a position to centrifuge the moisture from the wet articles and when in the raised position and turned on the horizontal axis said drum being in a position to tumble the articles.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, in which the raising means is operative to further raise the drum from the tumbling position to further rotate the drum around the horizontal axis toa dumping position to remove the articles from the drum.

12. An apparatus of the character described comprising a combined extractor and tumble of wet articles and having narrow ribs on the internal surface thereof, and means for adjusting the extractor and tumbler into three vertical positions of which one position in which the ribs are vertical the moisture is extracted from the articles, in the second position in which the ribs are horizontal the articles are tumbled and in the third position in which the ribs are inclined from the horizontal the articles are dumped out from the combined extractor and tumbler.

13. An apparatus for treating laundered articles comprising at least one support, a basket adapted to receive wet articles, a curb in which the basket is rotatably mounted, means for Irotatably. and slidably mounting said curb on said supports, means for raising and lowering said basket and curb, and means for rotating said basket in one position to centrifuge the. wet articles and in another position of the basket to tumble the articles in the basket.

14. An apparatus according to claim 2, invwhich a platform is provided having a suspended mounting to permit oscillation and on which the pair of posts are securely mounted. V

15. An apparatus according to claim 2, in which means are provided to rotate the basket and curb while the basket and curb are raised and lowered,

'said means including a gear rack bar mounted on one of the posts and a gear mounted to rotate with the curb, said rack bar being adjustable on its post whereby said curb and basket when raised will travel a short distance before the gear will mesh with the gear rack to rotate the basket and curb as a unit.

16. An apparatus according to claim 7, in which said means for rotating the curb and basket in-; cludes' a gear rackmounted on=one of "the posts and a gear on one of the trunnions, saidgear rack also having a smooth section whereby when said curb and basket is first raised the gear will be opposite the smooth section and when the gear reaches and meshes with the gear rack the curb and basket willbe rotated while being raised. 1 1'7. An apparatus according to claim 4, in which the rotatable and slidable means includes, for

each post,.an elevating carrier having a pin and" a trunnion cooperating with and rotatable on thepin, and in which said means to rotate the curb and basket includes a gear mounted on oneof the trunnions and a gear rack mounted on one of the posts whereby when the actuating rods are rotated the elevating carriers will be raised on. the posts and the gear will mesh with the gear rack to rotate the curb and basket while they are raised.

- EDWIN F. WESELY. 

